The present invention relates to tubular bandages and to a method for their application.
Tubular bandages are in common use and are available in a range of sizes suitable for use in bandaging anything from fingers to arms and legs and even the head. The bandage material is normally supplied in a roll from which a suitable length is cut for use, this length being applied to the injured part to be bandaged with the aid of an applicator.
The application of a bandage with the aid of an applicator is well known and will not therefore be described in detail, but, in brief, first requires the fitting of the length of bandage onto the applicator followed by the fitting of the applicator over the part to be bandaged and its withdrawal to leave one end portion of the bandage around the part. The applicator may then be pushed over the part again and withdrawn several times to apply several thicknesses of the bandage around the injured part.
Although the use of an applicator is not particularly difficult, it does need a certain amount of time and patience and also the thought to replace the applicator with the unused roll of bandage so that they are available for subsequent use. In a busy hospital, this precaution is often omitted and applicators are often lost, which leads to inconvenience, time wastage and irritation. A further problem with such bandages is that a "suitable" length must be cut from the roll for use: often substantially more than is actually needed for a particular job is cut off and considerable quantities of the roll are therefore wasted.